HONG KONG (AFP) - Protesters turned Hong Kong's constitutional document into toilet paper on Wednesday in an angry demonstration against Beijing's publication of a controversial White Paper reasserting China's control over the city.

China's State Council - Beijing's Cabinet - on Tuesday issued its first-ever policy document stipulating how Hong Kong should be governed, in what was widely interpreted as a warning to the city not to overstep the boundaries of its autonomy.

It comes at a time of increasing political tension in the city as pro-democracy groups fear Beijing will backtrack on promised reforms.

About 40 demonstrators rallied outside Beijing's representative office in the west of Hong Kong, burning a large-scale reprint of the White Paper and brandishing rolls of toilet paper printed with the city's Basic Law.